Thousand Oaks Subdivision

August Newsletter

Aug 08, 2004

Thousand Oaks Homeowner?’s Association
August 2004
Board Of Directors
Monica Lee ?– President 678.985.4080
Angela Nesbit ?– Vice President 678.376.4767
Amanda Raby ?– Secretary/Treasurer 770.682.8150

BACK TO SCHOOL
It?’s that time of year again. Pretty soon the streets will be filled with children waiting for the school bus and parents in their cars waiting near the bus stop to watch their children wait for the school bus.
Riding the Bus
School bus transportation is safe. In fact, buses are safer than cars! Even so, last year, approximately 26 students were killed and another 9,000 were injured in incidents involving school buses. More often than not, these deaths and injuries didn't occur in a crash, but as the pupils were entering and exiting the bus. Remember these safety tips:

• Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
• Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
• When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus. Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus.
• Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
• Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it's okay to approach.
• Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do. Protect yourself and watch out!

Walking and Biking to School
Even if you don't ride in a motor vehicle, you still have to protect yourself. Because of minimal supervision, young pedestrians face a wide variety of decisions making situations and dangers while walking to and from school. Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:

• Mind all traffic signals and/or the crossing guard ?– never cross the street against a light, even if you don't see any traffic coming.
• Walk your bike through intersections.
• Walk with a buddy.
• Wear reflective material...it makes you more visible to street traffic.
• The Partnership for a Walkable America has some more information on this topic.
  Riding in a Car
  You might have heard before that most traffic crashes occur close to home ... they do.
• A safety belt is the best form of protection passengers have in the event of a crash. They can lower your risk of injury by 45%.
• You are four times more likely to be seriously injured or killed if ejected from the vehicle in a crash.
• Everyone needs to be buckled up properly. That means older kids in seat belts, younger kids in booster seats and little kids in child safety seats.

Please keep your eyes peeled and aware of the children out in the street waiting for the bus. School starts Monday, August 9.
We Need Your Help! Please, if anyone can lay brick, we need the grill repaired at the pavilion. Please contact Monica at (678) 985-4080 or via email at monicalee@rickcase.com or molee@charter.net.
Thanks A Bunch, Ann Rupe!
Ann Rupe walks throughout the neighborhood and takes a bag with her. She picks up a lot of trash from the roadways. She has been doing this for some time and I think she deserves a huge round of applause. Good Job Ann!!!
Friends and Neighbors The Thousand Oaks Women's Club
Did you know that there is a neighborhood Women's Club in Thousand Oaks? We go by the name of "Friends and Neighbors" and meet at 7:30 P.M. on the first Thursday of the month ten months a year. The meetings are held in the homes of the members and consist of a business meeting, a program, and then food and fellowship. Some of our regular activities include: Game Night on the second Thursday of the month, Craft Night on the third Wednesday of the month, Movie Outing on the third Sunday of the month, and Dining Out on the fourth Monday of the month. We also have a Progressive dinner during the month of December and a picnic in either July or August. At the suggestion of a member, we may organize a trip to Chattanooga to see a seahorse exhibit or plan to attend a play at Collins Hill High School. We are always open to suggestions for things to do. Whether we facilitate a large group or just bring two people together to share a common interest, we are meeting our goal. All this for $20 a year. Feel free to contact me if you would like to join or have any questions about our organization. Barbara Gulakowski, President Phone No. 770-339-6874

TEEN SPOTLIGHT: ASHLEY NESBIT
Ashley is an only child of single mom, Angela. She lives at 1998 Kelvin Drive, and has lived in Thousand Oaks for 16 months. She is 13 years old, will turn 14 in December, and will enter the 8th grade at Creekland Middle this school year. She has a 4.0 grade average and was accepted into the Duke University TIP (Talent Identification Program) last fall. She was then given her SAT and based on her score; she was given a scholarship to attend the University of Kansas this summer. She studied Psychology and earned an equivilant of one college semester in only 3 weeks! Next summer she plans to study Medical Science. Besides her academic interests, Ashley also loves animals, reads avidly, and has a sincere interest in helping others. She has a deep spiritual belief and feels that every stranger is simply a friend she hasn't met yet.

RECOMMENDED SERVICES:
Angela Nesbit recommended the following: she has had quite a bit of work done on her house and has had great experience with the following service providers.
NORTH POLE AIR Flowery Branch, 770-932-9952 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! SUPER HONEST!! I called another service first who came out and said my air conditioner was irreparable. They wanted $2500.00 to replace my system. North Pole came out for a second opinion, and $115.00 later, my air conditioner was working great! It has now run without trouble for 2 summers!
LIBERTY PLUMBING Monroe, 770-207-5514 Cell 770-480-9261 John Long, Owner HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! SUPER HONEST!! I had a really bad leak from the bathtub in my hall bathroom. I was expecting a repair of several hundred dollars, but for only a $65.00 service call, my leak was fixed! Mr. Long could have taken me for a lot more money and I never would have known the difference, but he was extremely honest and explained everything he did to complete the repair!
JAMES JACKSON-Independent Contractor HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Duluth, 770-476-2247 SPECIALIZES IN YARD WORK/HAULING AND DECK REPAIR/BUILDING Mr. Jackson was super dependable and extremely affordable. He was the only contractor out of 6 who actually showed up on time and completed the job just like he said he would. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND him for tree and brush removal. He will also remove all debris and make your yard spotless! Charges by the job and has very competitive rates. I have not used him for any deck work, but he says he is a very skilled deck builder/repairer.

If you have special announcements you would like included in future newsletters, please email them to Monica at molee@charter.net or Angela at amnrose@yahoo.com or drop them by 609 Oak Moss Drive. Items may include anything of importance to our members such as:

• birth announcements
• anniversaries
• graduations
• local events
• funny stories or anecdotes

For those interested in Zoning Regulations and Property Maintenance Ordinances, please refer to the code compliance section of the Gwinnett County Department of Planning and Development located at www.co.gwinnett.ga.us